Overview

"Morocco in the image of Allah" is a historical novel; it reveals why Morocco is still under French rule. Morocco has, in fact, never existed as a state; this statement might shock many people, but there is history and there are those who have made it; one of them is General Lyautey, first governor of modern Morocco; when he first set foot on the land of the Moors in 1912, he said, "I've come to invent Morocco." Sultans, wielding power, bow to the challenge, to the bon mot; Amazigh, the Berber natives, frown and disapprove; they are right. France has come to invent Morocco without them, without their consent. Troubles spark off all over the country and soon turn into rebellion and revolt. Amazigh tribes take up arms against the French but they are forthwith overwhelmed by the modern weaponry of their enemy. Sensing that their throne is at stake, sultans take side with French ruler and offer Lyautey tremendous support. Lyautey is not only a politician, he is also a poet and he never misses an opportunity of making great show of his diction; the famous phrase: "Pacific (gentle) Penetration" is his; he meant conquering Morocco without violence, without bloodshed. Sultans who have no idea what sovereignty means, accept bribery and cede the country whole to the French. To make the conquest more successful, the French have alsso invented a new faith for Moroccans: "Shareef Islam or Colonial Islam" sultans and kings are divine, their religious authority is the law. They can be accountable for none but their protector, the French ruler. The story of modern Morocco starts here; the natives are defeated and bow down to decades of looting and servitude. The French have thus had the cake and eat it too. Morocco is still nowadays without sovereignty; Morocco is still a colonized country. Morocco has never existed as a sovreign state.